AMC Title 23 fire code and Anchorage Fire Department wildland-urban interface guidance require Hillside-area homeowners to clear flammable vegetation within 30 feet of structures, mirroring statewide AS 41.15 forestry practices.
Anchorage Hillside neighborhoods sit in a wildland-urban interface zone where black spruce, beetle-killed timber, and dry summers create extreme fire risk, as demonstrated by the 2019 McHugh Creek Fire. AFD recommends a 30-foot defensible-space radius with thinned conifers, removed dead branches, and noncombustible roofing. AMC Title 23 incorporates the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code with local amendments for Hillside Service Area properties. Alaska Division of Forestry Firewise Communities program provides cost-share assistance for chipping and tree removal, and AFD inspectors respond to complaints about overgrown parcels adjacent to occupied structures.
Failure to maintain defensible space after written AFD notice is a Title 23 violation carrying fines of $100 to $500 per day and abatement liens recorded against the parcel under AMC Title 16.
Anchorage, AK
Anchorage designates WUI zones covering Hillside, Eagle River, Chugiak, Girdwood, and Stuckagain Heights. These zones face high wildfire risk and trigger str...
Anchorage, AK
Anchorage encourages Firewise defensible space under AMC 23.45 and Alaska DNR guidelines. Property owners should clear flammable vegetation within 30 feet of...
See how Anchorage's defensible space rules stack up against other locations.
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